dubbs



C. P. DU BBS May 26, 1931.

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING LOW BOILING POINT HYDROCARBONS Original Filed Nov.4. 1918 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. P. DUBBS May 26, 1931.

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING LOW BOILING POINT HYDROCARBONS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Original Filed Nov. 4, 1918 y 25, 1931- c. P. DUBBS v PROCESS FORPRODUCING LOW BOILING POINT HYDROCARBONS Original Filed Nov. 4, .1918- 4Sheets$heet 3 PROCESS FOR PRODUCING LQW BOILING POINT HYDROCARBONS C. P.DUBBS May 26 1931.

Original Filed Nov. 4. 1918 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 C d/bah P2711665.

@MKW M- Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED SI-TATE'S PATENT OFFICE CARBON .P.DUBBS, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTSCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF. SOUTH DAKOTA PROCESSFOR PRODUCING LOW BOILING POINT HYDBOCARBONS Original application Thisapplication is a divisional of an original application filed by me underdate of November 4, 1918, Serial No. 260,955.

This invention relates to a process for treating hydrocarbon oils toproduce there-' from products having lower boiling points.

Y The objects of the invention are to provide a process for separatingoils of different boil ing points; to provide a process wherein theoilunder treatment is circulated through a coil and then to and from avapor chamber, which latter chamber is only partly filled with the oil,the oil being heated as it passes through the "former coil and as itpasses through the latter chamber it is relieved of more or less of itsvapor content, which vapors pass to and through a condenser while moreor less of an insoluble material, such as carbon formed in the oil,settles and is drawn ofl while the remaining unvaporized oil passesfromthe vapor chamber back to and through the heating tubes, the wholebeing maintained under pressure; to provide a process in which theheating of the oil under treatment is accomplished in the heating coilsand said oil maintained in rapid circulation in these coils and thendischarged into one end of the vapor chamber, said chamber be-' ing onlypartially filled with the oil and said oil withdrawn from said chamberat the other end forced back through the heating coil, while more orless of the oil and carbon and other solids are drawn oil as residuum,

said vapor chamber being of such size in the cross section as to greatlyreduce the speed of the flow of the'oil from one end to the other andsaid chamber being of such dimensions as to permit more or less of itssolid content to settle out and means being provided for the drawing onof more or less of the solids that are thus settled out of the oil alongwith part of the oil and means provided for supplying fresh oil to theapparatus; to provide a process for continuous operation; to provide aprocess in which those products that are only partly reduced orconverted to the desired low boiling point, are returned and furthercirculated through the heating tubes; to providea process in which thevapors not having the desired low boiling points are confiled November4, 1918, Serial- No. 260,955. September 6, 1921, Serial No. 498,886.Renewed m 16, 1928.

Divided and this application and densed and automatically returned forfurther treatment; to provide a process whereby the free carbon producedcan be settled out and removed without interrupting the operation; toprovide a rocess for. alternately heating the vhydrocar ons, relievingsame of its generated vapors and further heating the remaining liquidhydrocarbon.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatussubstantially along line 1--1 of Figure 4,

partly in section, and with parts broken away, in zvhich my improvedprocess may be carried ou Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing that section of the furnace containing theheating tubes.

Fig. 4 is one end view of the apparatus, partly in section, with partsbroken away.

Referring in detail to the drawings, A is the furnace proper with firetunnel A1; perforated arch wall A2, flue tunnel A- -S, stack A--4.Positioned in the furnace A are the heating coils B and Bl connectedwith pumps C and C1 by means of pipes D and D-l. D2 is the pipeconnecting vapor chamber E. to pump C and D-3 is line.

is connected with receiving tank H, which has positioned on it pressureregulating valve H-1, glass liquid gauge H -2, drawofl line H.3 withvalve positioned on it marked 11-4. K1, K2, K3, K4=, K5' and K -6 arepyrometers of standard. make. L1,L-2 and L-3 are pressure gauges and maybe either indicating or recording. M

is a glass liquid gauge on the end of the retort E. P isthe supply tankfor the raw material to be treated and is connected by means of line P-lto pressure pump P2, which discharges into line D through line P-3. Rand R1 are drawofi' lines from the retort E. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 arevalves. X and X1 are cleaning p ates.

Describing now the operation of the process, the material to be treatedmaybe drawn from any suitable source of supply, as for instance as shownin the drawing, from tank P in which the raw material to be treated maybe stored. This tank P is connected by means of pipe P1, pressure pumpP2, which discharges through line-,P3 into line' D into that section ofthe heating coils marked B and from there discharges into separatingchamber F. The vapors generated pass off from chamber F through line F-1into vapor chamber E while the unvaporized portion of the oil passesfrom chamber F through line D3 into pump C1, through line D1 intoheating coils marked B1 and from there pass through line D4 into vapor jchamber E. The vapors generated and accumulated in the vapor chamber Epass u through goose-neck G into manifold --1 through pipes G2, G3,(ii-4 and G5 into mani fold G6 and such vapors that are condensedtherein are automatically drained back to retort E and subjected tofurther treatment, while the remaining vapors ass from manifold G6 downthrough line (El- 7 through water cooled coil G-8, through line G-10into receiver H and from which it can be drawn off. continuously orintermittently through line H3 through valve H-4. The excessuncondensible gases are automatically relieved through pressureregulating valve H1 or it may be relieved through an ordinary valve (notshown). The oil in the vapor chamber E, passes down through line D2 intothe-suction end of pump C and is forced by this pump through the line D,through coils vmarked B, positioned in the furnace A and discharged intoseparating chamber F as 4r already described.

Pressure auges and pyrometers arepositioned in di erent places in theapparatus so that the proper temperatures and pressures may. bemaintained. Such pressures and temperatures will vary according to theoil being treated, the extent of the cracking taking place, etc. The oilin the vapor .cham ber E'must be always maintained above the outlet toD2 in order to insure a full supply being furnished the pump C. Thesupply of 011 to separating chamber F should be sufficient to keep thepump O-1 supplied with oil. I

Maintaining 8. hi h velocity on the oil while passing throng the heatingtubes will tend to keep the carbon and other solid matters in suspensionand to a great extent, prevent same from adhering to'the walls of thetubes and when this oil is discharged into one '05 end of the vaporchamber E, the vapor chamber E being of much larger capacity, thevelocity of the oil as it flows from one end of the vapor chamber E tothe other end thereof, is greatly reduced and any excess carbon or othersolid matters that are held in the solution or suspension by means of ahigher agitation or velocity, will be precipitated out in the vaporchamber E and,there held while the oil is drawn ofl and again passedthrough the heating coils in the furnace A and subjected to furthertreatment. In order to have a large capacity vapor chamber and preventsubstantial vaporization taking place in the heating tubes, I haveprovided a separating chamber F to be interposed between the heatingcoils and into which the oil is discharged and relieved of its vaporsand then by means of another pump sent back through the furnace in othercoils and'then discharged into one end of the vapor chamber and as manyof these chambers and pumps can be used as is found necessary to handlethe desired capacity of the plant. The residuum and more or less of thecarbon and other solid matters that settle in the vapor chamber aredrawn off through lines R and R1, either continuously or intermittentlyas likewise the raw material can be fed into the apparatus eithercontinuously or intermittently.

It will be noted that the vapor chamber E is positioned outside of thefurnace'A and is heavily lagged as likewise'should be all pipes outsideof the. furnace inorder to prevent heavy loss of heat by radiation.

- The entire system is subjected to a pressure either vapor or gas orotherwise, which pressure will range from 5 pounds to 500 pounds persquare inch, the pressure used varying according to the conditions to bemet, such as the particular oil under treatment and the productsdesired. The temperature to which the oil will be heated will resumablyvary from 400 to 1200 degrees F, though these limits are not absolute ineither case.

I claim as my invention:

A process of converting heavy into lighter hydrocarbons, consisting inpumping oil first through a heating coil and to a separating chamber,then taking OK the vapors from said chamber and passing them to a vaporchamber, passing the unvaporized oil through a second heating coil tothe said vapor chamber,

taking ofi vapors from the vapor chamber and first coil, the oil beingmaintained under pressure of the generated vapors during treatment.

CARBON P.- DUBBS.

